Milton Keynes hosts its first ever Vegan Festival this weekend

Everyone loves a burger, sure enough, but not everyone wants to buy into the conveyor belt of animal slaughter just to have something to smother with relish and salad.

Attitudes are changing.  It wasn't so very long ago that following a vegetarian diet could prove tricky.  And yet now we have our own dedicated 'veggie' sections in supermarkets, while all the savvy food companies tuck a tidy little vegetarian approved sign on their products.

Shopping meat free is no big deal.  Even for those burgers!

Now, vegan diets are becoming more accepted by the mainstream, and once again, the supermarkets are catching-up.

But how easy is to ditch animal produce altogether?  To leave the leather shoes behind, and switch the milk in your coffee from cow to soya? 

This weekend Milton Keynes is hosting its first ever Vegan Festival which will answer your questions and show that with a little effort, sustaining a vegan diet is easy.

“Very easy,” says festival organiser Dawn Ward, “Today you can walk into supermarkets and buy vegan cheeses, milks, burgers, sausages, ice-creams, yogurts and freshly made pizzas, just to name a few.

“As well as companies rapidly increasing their vegan product ranges as the vegan community grows, there is also a wealth of freely available delicious recipes on the internet.

“If you want to try and make something, someone else will have already had a go and shared their experience!”

Saturday's (July 30) event – being hosted at Fishermead Trinity Centre between 11am and 3pm, will be bustling with stalls offering hot and cold vegan food, clothing, accessories, books and cosmetics.

Animal rescue centres will be in attendance too, with Animals in Need and MK Cat Rescue on hand to show how you can support their tireless work.

So far as those food stalls go, Gourmet Vegan will supply cakes, MK Vegans Kitchen will be cooking up a storm, curry will come from Saf's Kitchen and more foodie ideas will be presented by companies including A Vegetative State and Juice Buddy.  

Love cheese?  Fans will be sorted with Vegan Cheese Lovers Club and Mouse's Favourite tackling the cheddar issues!

“The main reason people choose to go vegan is to no longer be complicit in the cruelty and slaughter that is a fundamental part of animals and their products being used in the food, clothing and product industries,” Dawn said.

“I also think the environmental benefits have played a part too, helped by documentaries such as 'Cowspiracy' being available within mainstream media such as on Netflix.”

Speakers at the event will be Lynn Sawyer ('Resisting the Badger Cull, a Practical Guide), Dr Brett Cochrane (Biomedical research in the 21st Century: the vision of one 'R'), Ronnie Lee (Getting Vegan-Active for Animal Liberation') and Dean Bracher ('A Practical Talk on going and staying Vegan).

Music will come from Taylor Smith, Dr Jakmoin's Elixir of Live and Reeds.

Whether you are looking for some support to make the change or just want more information, MK Vegan Festival cuts out the fiction and delivers the facts.

“The main aim of the festival is to make veganism accessible to the public, to show it is becoming mainstream,” Dawn told Total MK.

“We hope that giving people the opportunity to try free food samples, listen to the different speakers and get more information, whilst having a really enjoyable day, it will encourage more people to make the change, helping to directly decrease animal suffering.

“There are not many individual choices we can make that will have such a positive impact, for the animals, your health and the planet, as going Vegan.

Admission is free and the event runs between 11am and 3pm.